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The bigger picture + Arsecast 226

by arseblogger on January 27th, 2012   /   Arseblog, the arsenal blog, Arsecast   /   486 arses

Later this morning Arsene will meet the press for his pre-Aston Villa press conference. And beyond the normal information we get from one of these gatherings, I have to say I’m really curious as to how it will go down.

It’ll be the first time he’s faced the media since Sunday’s defeat to United and that reaction to his decision to take off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He can’t not have been affected by it. I know when you’ve been at the top of the game for as long as he has you need to develop something of a thick skin, but you’d need to have a hide like a double-elephant for that to bounce off you.

And while I’m pretty sure that’s going to be a major talking point for the ladies and gentlemen of the fourth estate – as it has been for Arsenal fans all week long – I hope that doesn’t become the focus because for me it clouds the real issue. While we rant and rave / discuss sensibly and with decorum the decision it changes little. It was one moment in a game in which we had chances to score, it might well have had a bearing on the winning goal and I’ll have to take slight issue with those who say it was tactical genius by Ferguson to bring on Park.

He might well be quick-thinking and astute but it he didn’t look at The Ox coming off and make a decision based on that. The reason he made the change was because Rosicky kicked Nani up in the air and the shit Michael Jackson got injured and had to come off. That their goal came down our right hand side and had some Arshavin involvement wasn’t a surprise but nor was it anything other than decent play by Valencia.

Update: I’m a bit wrong about that sub, oh well, it wasn’t important anyway!

If the decision by Arsene was one he got wrong, then he got it wrong. People let him know they thought he got it wrong. Fair enough. It happens. And it’s always struck me as a bit over the top when a manager chucks a player on who then scores to hear that decision described as ‘inspired’. What about all the times he throws on players who contribute nothing? Anyway, here I am talking about the substitutiuon again because it’s easy to talk about it and not so easy to talk about the bigger issue.

Which is that Arsenal have gone through January without picking up a single league point. I know there have only been three games but isn’t that far more worthy of debate that one single moment in a match, however momentus it felt at the time (because of the reaction more than the decision itself, let’s face it)? I’d much rather hear what Arsene has to say about our current run of form, how we’ve lost league points and how the lack of a left back has contributed to that despite him saying it would be ‘stupid’ to lose points due to a player shortage in that area.

I’d like to hear why it is that when we’ve had a pressing need for players, not just at the back either, a club with the resources of Arsenal could only bring back a 34 year Thierry Henry on loan. I know people are quick to blame the manager – and he is far, far from blameless – but I can’t believe Arsene looks at that squad and doesn’t want another striker.

I can understand his reluctance when it comes to full backs, we’ve been over the difficulties of getting a decent player on loan or having a bloated squad when players are fit again, but Arsene loves strikers. He loves forwards in general. He’s collected them and hoarded them throughout his Arsenal career and now, at the most challenging time in that career, he’s got one striker he trusts and knows he can count on. One.

Look, maybe he’s gone a bit bonkers and, like a starving Scooby-Doo who sees a gigantic sandwich when he looks at Shaggy, he sees Romario and Gerd Muller when he looks at Park and Chamakh. But maybe, just maybe, there’s more to it than that. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, is it? And that’s not to make excuses for him, only to try and find some explanation as to why a manager, for whom scoring goals has always been more important than defending them, has allowed his squad and his team to become so goal shy.

That said, unless there’s some extraordinary circumstances Arsene will always be loyal and protect the image of the club, the same way he protects the players, but it’s still a question worth asking, in my opinion. And while we can sit here and look at the January transfer window and think of a wide variety of reasons why no signings have been made (its January, players won’t move ahead of Euros, summer targets etc etc), there’s one very simple and very good reason as to why signings could and should have been made: it’d make us a stronger team for what remains of this season.

Arsene is the one in the firing line, we know he makes all the decisions regarding football, but a question worth asking is if the manager and the board are working in tandem, in perfect harmony. That’s not to suggest there’s any massive problem but the summer illustrated our shortcomings in relation to transfers and how we manage our squad. We hoped that lessons would be learned, that it would makes us better and more efficient, but maybe those issues remain. It’s all conjecture, I realise, but I think these are areas worth exploring, at least.

In today’s Arsecast, Amy Lawrence joins me to discus the week that was. Obviously the Ox/Arsh incident is high on the agenda, and how that might have changed the relationship between manager and fans, but Amy also asks why, during a difficult time, we’ve heard nothing from up above, nothing from Stan Kroenke and whether or we ought to expect from him.

You can subscribe to the Arsecast on iTunes by clicking here. Or if you want to subscribe directly to the feed URL you can do so too (this is a much better way to do it as you don’t experience the delays from iTunes). To download this week’s Arsecast directly – click here (23mb MP3) or you can listen directly below without leaving this very page.

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And finally, in brief, some good news as Bacary Sagna returned to full training yesterday, and if you haven’t seen it already, after Harry Redknapp’s admission he can barely read or write at his trial, we have an exclusive copy of Sp*rs team sheet from last weekend.

Right, press conference news and more throughout the day on Arseblog News. Back tomorrow.

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There exists a mythical place named ‘Middle Ground’

by Tim Stillman on January 26th, 2012   /   Columnists   /   34 arses

Tim Stillman Column

It probably says something about the relentless coverage of the modern game when a substitution can generate days of headlines and fall out. In this respect, we see how the modern media works. They can forge subplots and spin offs to furnish another day’s worth of sales and clicks – such as the unbelievable scenes as the captain visibly shakes his head! The horror! The story then grows tentacles, as the microscope zooms in ever closer. This must be revealing of a deeper unrest, surely?

Then of course, the club is forced to fire fight and release statements with the intention of calming the PR waters. The denials then provide another raft of website fodder, ravenously consuming ever more clicks. These rebuttals are always reported in a curiously detached way, “Robin van Persie was moved to deny claims of dressing room unrest.” Claims of course that now somehow no longer belong to the very organ that made them in the first place.

In this sense, the press constructs a synthetic reality – what Baudrillard referred to as the hyper-real (yes, I am pretentious, please don’t feel the need to point it out to me) that many of us buy into. Now don’t get me wrong, I seek not to defend the decision. At the time, I shared the exasperation of pretty much everyone when The Ox’s number was called and thought it a baffling change. I just think it’s important to see a little wood in those trees in the days of hyper furore that have followed.

oxvpI have to say I don’t really buy Wenger’s reasoning that Chamberlain was cramping up. I sit in a decent position in the stadium and I didn’t see evidence of it myself, nor have I seen any illuminating footage to support the supposition. If you’ll excuse a little amateur cod psychology, Arsene seemed pretty tetchy and defensive about being taken to task over it. But I don’t think it was the removal of Chamberlain that was revealing so much as Ferguson’s reaction to it. He instantly changed up his right hand side and within six minutes it was a move from that very area of the pitch that won him the game.

I think that probably reveals a difference between the two managers. Wenger’s substitutions are often prescriptive and decided before kick-off it appears. Ferguson will appreciate an in-game situation and react to it. There again, one could argue that it was probably never in the plan to replace the ailing Djourou with the raw Nico Yennaris, but that was a change that worked incredibly well. Well enough you’d imagine for Yennaris’ stock to have risen.

What I’m trying to say in a roundabout way is that, whilst undoubtedly not one of Arsene’s better moments, a little perspective is required. One only need look at some of the reportage of Chamberlain’s signing in the first place to see that allowing the press to dictate hyperbolic reactions to you is a fool’s errand. It was a decision worthy of scrutiny and, ultimately, criticism, but it probably doesn’t have the far reaching implications many will have you believe.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to be superior or tell anyone how to be a supporter or latently making excuses. I just think it’s important to appreciate the 5,000km of grey area wedged between the black and white many are so fond of. I felt the need to say that because, if I have learned one thing this week, it’s that a lot of fans will absolutely not accept any scrutiny. Last week I drew some criticism – not all of it undeserved – for labelling our support as ‘schizophrenic.’ I accept that the accusation was a tad generalised, but some of the feedback I got ranged from a tad precious to implicitly threatening.

Supporters are not responsible for results and have every right to criticise. But call me naïve; I also still think the fans are one of the biggest parts of a club. So I don’t think it beyond the realms of all reason to pass comment on them as part of the fabric of the club. That’s not to say the critic is purporting themselves to be any better or more superior a supporter – the same way that most of us aren’t really angling for Arsene Wenger’s job when we ask, “why in the name of blue fuck have you just hooked our best player?”

It just strikes me that those of us that offer criticism should be willing to accept some too. It goes back to something I’ve said on these hallowed pages before, everybody needs to be told they’re a cunt once in a while. Except for me. I don’t need to be told because I already know. Plus, I’m probably just plain better than you are anyway.

Moving on and there’s another trend I’ve noticed emerged this week. Once again, stories have been doing the rounds of Arsene Wenger being linked with the manager’s post at Real Madrid. I’ve also seen a repeat of the story that Paris Saint Germain lifted their skirts in Arsene’s direction again prior to the appointment of Ancelotti. I have to say I have observed that these stories have a tendency to resurface whenever the manager comes under sustained criticism. So whilst the wily old codger’s assertion that the press “create fear” for the supporters is not incorrect, he seemingly uses them for his own ends too.

The FA Cup returns this weekend and I really hope we take the competition seriously. Though I am certain Arsene is only responding to pointed questions, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the consistent reinforcement that it’s not very high on our priority list. We all know that the top 4 is the be all and all and most of us accept it; even if we do so grudgingly. I often see the question posted on message boards, “What would you rather? Finish in the top 4 or win the FA Cup?” To which my response is, “Why do we have to choose?”

The only discernable reason for not going for both would be that our squad isn’t deep enough to handle it. If it’s the case that the manager doesn’t trust the depth of our squad to maintain multiple assaults, then really that should be questioned. The top 4 is more important to our long term ability to compete –most of us know that. But the boost in morale a trophy would give players and supporters can’t be underestimated. The gusto with which we took to the League Cup last year shows the manager knows that too.

I think come May, a top 4 finish would be treated with relief. A top 4 finish and a trophy would be greeted with delight and cautious spells of optimism may even break out! It would also go some way to removing the sense of Groundhog Day that I think supporters are experiencing. Boredom is a fertile ground for discontent. The devil will make work for idle vocal chords to boo and all that. I think we can and should make a go of this competition without apologetically diminishing its existence every five minutes.

O.K. That will do for this week. Be sure to check back again next week to find out exactly what you should be thinking. LD.

Follow me on twitter @LittleDutchVA

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Meaty meetings

by arseblogger on January 26th, 2012   /   Arseblog, the arsenal blog   /   446 arses

The quietness. It’s so loud. In its quietness, of course.

According to various reports in The Sun (not linking) and The Express (won’t link because of auto-playing video), there was something of a team meeting at the training ground this week. Some might call it ‘crisis talks’, some might call it ‘group therapy’, some might call it ‘Trevor’. What it’s called doesn’t matter a jot though.

Apparently Arsene got the players together and told them to believe in themselves, told them he loved them, cherished them, respected them, wrote ocassional poems about them (mostly sonnets but sometimes a baudy Limerick – “There was a lad called Chamakh, who was really quite poor in attack … erm … “There once was a small guy from Russia, whose father was not a drug pusher, that was John Terry’s father … har har” … etc), and that they all needed to pull together like never before to ensure we salvage something from this difficult, trying, obnoxious season.

I do like stories like this though. A ‘team meeting’ becomes big news because there seems to be a perception that they go out, do training, run about a bit, and never speak about stuff anyway. You can be quite sure that the team have training ground meetings when things are going well and they have them when things are going badly. Of course the ones when things are going badly are a bit more ‘inquesty’ and perhaps a touch more ‘finger pointy’ with a slice of ‘What the fuck was that in the last game there [player who didn't quite deserve the Limerick that was written for him]?’, but they do happen.

Famously, in Arsene’s first full season, there was a team meeting which many people think took place after a 3-1 defeat to Blackburn at Highbury, but reading back through Tony Adams biography, it happened before that. We’d just lost twice in a row, 2-0 to Sheffield Wednesday, 1-0 to to Liverpool, and it was Pat Rice who suggested the team and the management get together.

They did, the senior players had their say, looking for more from players like Overmars and Petit, for example, and even though the next game was won (away at Newcastle), the Blackburn defeat followed. Interestingly, Tony had this to say after it:

The next day I looked in on the Arsenal website and was horrified by the comments. ‘Tony’s playing rubbish,’ it said. ‘It would be a shame if it were to end like this’.

I felt really angry. What was all this? Even if it does end like this, they have had good value from me. ‘They’re a fickle lot, these fans’, I thought. I felt really down.

This was 1998! The parallels between then and now are obvious (in terms of the circumstances), and if Tony Adams thought comments on the internet were harsh back then, imagine what he’d be subjected to nowadays. It’s all well and good saying players should have a thick skin because they earn £xx,000 per week but they are just human, not unfeeling robots. While you can legitimately ask whether or not some players are doing enough to dampen down some of the criticism, nobody is that strong that they’re not affected in some way by boos from their own fans.

What happened after the Blackburn game back then was Tony being given three weeks off to go see a fitness specialist in France, and the team got its shit together in a big way. Whether that was down to the meeting or not, it’s hard to say, but I’m sure it played a part. However much a player respects a manager or the shirt or the club he’s at, the people he least wants to let down are those he’s playing alongside.

If there were some harsh words spoken at the training ground this week, if some fingers were pointed behind the scenes rather than in the full glare of the watching public (as some seem to think is acceptable), then it would be no bad thing. It’s a workplace at the end of the day, if the poor performance of somebody else is affecting how well you can do your job, wouldn’t you say it?

Players have to be accountable, to the manager, to the fans, but most of all to each other, because once the whistle blows they’re the ones that matter most for the 90+ minutes that follow. If a midfielder needs more movement from the forwards, say it. If a defender wants more protection from midfield, say it. Only by demanding the best from others can you get the best from yourself. And we need those players, the ones motivated to do that, to stand up and let the others know what needs to be done.

I often say that football is a game of fine margins, and we can talk tactics, style, game plans and everything else till the cows come home, but sometimes what a team needs to find is some character. At the moment we seem a bit meek, a bit compliant, a touch brittle and seriously lacking in self-confidence. We need to be a bit more Arsenal, to remember that we’ve got a cannon on our chests, to show a bit more fight, a bit more pride, and if the players are behind the manager then let’s see it.

The problems we have can’t be solved 100% overnight. Even bringing in new players wouldn’t make things right straight away, although I still maintain it’d be a help. It’d be nice if there was an easy, one-step, no fuss solution to what’s going on, but there isn’t. And before anyone says ‘New manager’, there’s no guarantee that would do the trick either, especially when Stan appoints John Gregory.

Let’s hope that we’ve enough players in that squad who want to turn things around, who will have said their piece and that those they’ve said it to have enough balls to respond, instead of sulking. We showed we had something about us when we went on that run from September to December. With so much at stake between now and the end of the season, it’s time to show it again.

Till tomorrow.

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Bring me the head of the Dead Snake

by arseblogger on January 25th, 2012   /   Arseblog, the arsenal blog   /   696 arses

Morning all,

the dust has settled somewhat following Sunday’s drama, and if anything illustrates how quiet things have gone from the club’s point of view, it’s that one of the main stories on the official website is the news that Luis Boa Morte is joining South African side Orlando Pirates of the Caribbean.

This is the same Luis Boa Morte who last played for the club in April 1999, coming on as a 65th minute sub in a 0-0 draw against Southampton at The Dell. The only thing notable about that game was the fact that Kaba Diawara started and Mark Hughes was all elbowy as he chugged around in a Southampton shirt. Here’s what the long-gone but much missed Red Geezer had to say about it at the time:

The peculiar Southampton manager, scouse ‘hardman,’ David Jones, said after the game, talking his own brand of complete bollocks, that ‘the boy Vieira knew that he had been in a game.’ This translates, broadly, that Vieira had been elbowed in the face by Mark Hughes and kicked black and blue by the Saints’ ratpack. Good old Hughsie also kicked Adams and nearly eviscerated Martin Keown before finally succumbing to his usual yellow card.

This broadly summed up the game; an hour and a half, that seemed a lot longer, of tedious football, punctuated by niggly Southampton violence. Some people might see Southampton’s performance as ‘spirited’ but it was no more than opening up all the cages at the zoo and letting all the animals run around. If I lived in Southampton and if this was the only ‘entertainment’ in the area, I’d think I’d rather sneeze into a hankie and watch the snot coagulate than watch this grisly bunch of gimps go through the motions.

But Boa Morte was involved:

Arsenal’s best chance came from a Boa Morte flick, helped on by Anelka, that Kanu lashed at inside the box, towards a completely empty goal. Even as we were up on our feet and cheering, Francis Benali, appeared from nowhere and cleared the ball off the line. Bugger.

Francis Benali, eh? There’s a blast from the past. It’s not often a footballer can maintain two simultaneous careers but he played lots of games for Southampton as well as dancing around like a madman for Frankie Goes to Hollywood and I guess we can only applaud that. Anyway, good luck to the Dead Snake, I’m sure he’ll have a fine time in South Africa and I look forward to tomorrow’s Arsenal.com missive giving us all the details of Paul Shaw’s move to the J-League.

Back to reality (yes, I’m sorry, we have to), Mikel Arteta is about the only Arsenal voice you can find this morning and as you’d expect from a senior professional he’s playing down any talk of dressing room crisis, saying:

All the players are supportive of Wenger, there are no divisions. When we’ve had bad results the fans get upset with the manager but that’s normal in football.Wenger has done so much for the club that he deserves the confidence of the fans.

I’m not sure that the reaction we saw on Sunday could be classed as ‘normal’, to be honest, but again we have seas to sail and the less stormy they are the better. You don’t have be Johnny Insightful to know that certain things are being said because they need to be said. They don’t really deserve much in the way of analysis, they need to be taken at face value and we need to move on with our season.

Meanwhile, after his display against United, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has caught the eye of England manager Fabio Capello, apparently. Which is understandable, why wouldn’t a clearly exciting young English talent be of great interest to the national team manager? I just hope that there’s at least a small measure of common sense taken when it comes to his progress.

We know we live in a world where one moment you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread that shoots lasers into the eyes of John Terry, and the next you’re nothing but a mouldy old loaf that has is being fed to Water Sheringhams, but the hype machine loves nothing more than to build people up. There’s not much we can do about it, in fairness, but I’d hope that Arsenal fans don’t contribute too much to it.

It’s quite normal for a player to come into a team and impress due to their youthful enthusiasm and boundless energy, but once the element of surprise wears off they can struggle a bit. Remember Theo. Scared the life out of everyone with his pace until after a while left backs realised that if you just push him out wide he’ll generally run the ball out for a throw before turning around and blaming someone else or giving those Action Man eyes to the linesman (remember the Action Man that had the thing on the back of his head that you could move the eyes? Yeah, those eyes). Ooh, scary Theo!

There is obviously huge potential in The Ox. People talk about Arsene Wenger not spending money but he has, essentially, paid a club record fee for a kid coming from League One. I don’t think it’s something he himself will worry about, he seems level-headed and well-grounded, but we can’t overlook the fact that despite his talent and his performance against United he is still pretty damn raw. We need to accept that he can make a contribution between now and the end of the season, it might be slight, it might be considerable, but let’s not put the weight of expectation on him either.

Right, that’ll be that. Just a quick update the book/Paypal situation. There isn’t one. I’m still waiting and having been talked out of finding Paypal’s offices and repeatedly firing a bazooka at it by Mrs Blogs, waiting is all I’ve got. Hopefully there’ll be good news sooner rather than later.

Till tomorrow.

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